Number of fatal fires concerns officials

Eight people died in seven fires across the state in the beginning of January, with a couple cases involving fires in which there were no working smoke detectors.

As fire investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office and local departments continue to seek out the causes, fire officials said the number of fatalities in fires from Jan. 1 to Jan. 28 is a concern, considering the number of fatalities doubled compared to the same time frame last year.

“What I can say is there is not a single bullet here. We are not seeing in these eight fatalities a definitive trend,” State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said. “We're seeing a variety of different causes.”

It appears all of the fatal fires, two of them in Central Massachusetts, are accidental. Some forensic work is being conducted in the investigations, along with officials awaiting autopsy results.

The state saw fatal fires in Winchendon, Barre, Haverhill, Amherst, Holyoke and Chelmsford from Jan. 1 to Jan. 28. Two of those locations did not have working smoke alarms, but Fire Marshal Coan would not disclose the locations. A Princeton man also died in a Dec. 27 fire inside his home. Two children, ages 3 and 9 months old, also died in a Jan. 22 fire in Putnam.

William T. Breault, chairman of Worcester's Main South Alliance for Public Safety, which commemorates people who died in Worcester fires at a memorial on lower Main Street, said the lack of working smoke detectors in homes irks him.

“You have to tell people, 'check them, check them,' ” he said. “It is a constant drumbeat of 'check them and put them in.' ”

There were no fire deaths in Worcester last year, leaving Mr. Breault to ask whether it was luck or prevention. His group has given out smoke detectors in the past, and he continually watches news reports on fires to see if smoke detectors were in the buildings and working.

In Winchendon, 70-year-old Donald L. Willett Sr. died when his 95 Beachview Drive home was engulfed in flames. He was trapped inside when the Jan. 4 fire occurred.

Over in Princeton 61-year-old Rick Conway died inside his 140 Ball Hill Road home when a fiery explosion went off on Dec. 27.

The most recent fatal fire in Central Massachusetts was in Barre Jan. 24.

The fire at 9-11 Trafalgar Square claimed the life of 89-year-old Josephine S. Masulaitis.

Kevin Molt, a 47-year-old man from Barre, is a volunteer for the American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts Disaster Response Team and provided assistance at the Barre fire.

As an incident supervisor for the response team Mr. Molt has seen people standing in front of their homes, stricken with grief, wondering what they will do.

“I always say 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what you're going through,' ” he said. “I make it a point to look people in the eyes and say 'I'm sorry for what you're going through.' ”

There were a number of nonfatal fires in the region in January, prompting response by the American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts. With a couple days left to go in January, the Red Cross chapter had responded to 13 emergencies, of which 12 were fires, and assisted 60 families for a total of 88 people.

Fire officials and the American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts officials said they usually see an increase in fires during the cold season, but it seems as if higher-profile fires are striking the region.

“We generally see a marked incline, but nothing like we've seen this year,” Mr. Molt said. “They've been nonstop.”

Worcester Deputy Fire Chief Geoffrey Gardell said the city didn't have any major fires in January, but his department usually braces itself when the cold weather fronts move in.

“Usually what happens is the cold weather goes hand-in-hand with incidents,” he said. “When we see that cold spell coming, we keep our fingers crossed.”

Alternative heating is usually a common factor, he said. In multiple-family units, smoke detectors have to be hard-wired, and buildings with more than six units must have a fire alarm system, he said.

The least regulated properties, one- and two-family homes, seem to have the most fires, Chief Gardell said.

Mr. Coan, the state fire marshal, said with colder weather there is an increased use of people's heating and electrical systems.

That causes the systems to be taxed. Some fires occur in vacant buildings where homeless people are looking for shelter and use unsafe heating methods.

There have been high-profile fires in the state, Mr. Coan said. He recognizes that firefighting in cold conditions makes it difficult for firefighters, as conditions become slippery while blazes are fought.

When it comes to heating, Mr. Coan stressed people need to be responsible while using wood, coal and pellet stoves. Stoves and chimneys need to be properly maintained and installed.

Mr. Coan said that he is troubled by people thinking that coals that have cooled after a wood fire has burned out are safe to dispose of.

“While they may appear extinguished and cooled they can reignite with a gust of wind.”

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